Santa Fe, N.M. – Today, Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham signed the recently passed House budget bill, bringing fiscal solvency to the state’s finances and creating a budget framework for recovery in response to the global COVID-19 pandemic and economic downturn. 

Sponsored by Representative and Chair of the House Appropriations and Finance Committee Patricia Lundstrom (D-Gallup), House Bill 1 achieves fiscal solvency while prioritizing the education, health care, and public safety of New Mexicans. By sanding roughly 4% across most state agencies from their pre-COVID FY21 budgets while also utilizing record-high state reserves, House Bill 1 responsibly bridges the state’s roughly $2 billion budget shortfall.

“We’ve learned from previous downturns that we cannot kick the stool out from under New Mexicans and expect a strong recovery,” said Representative Patricia Lundstrom (D-Gallup). 

“The recently signed budget puts the education, health care, and safety of New Mexicans first, and it’s a framework that provides our state flexibility as we navigate the uncertainty brought by the pandemic.”

In addition to bringing agency budgets back in line with their FY20 levels, House Bill 1 as signed by the Governor does the following:

  • Allows up to 4% sanding off-the-top across all state agencies, with the exception of the Public Education Department, the Department of Health, and Medicaid in the Human Services Department
  • Gives agencies the authority to implement reductions to bring their budgets into the same range as FY20 spending in order to maintain the state’s investments in the people of New Mexico  
  • Makes increased investments in Public Education increasing non-administrative educator pay by 1%
  • Continues focusing on transforming education while ensuring educators and school personnel can provide for their families by increasing overall investments by nearly 4%
  • Distributes $750 Million from federal CARES Act funds to state COVID-19 expenses
  • Makes conscientious sweeps of some capital outlay funds, road, and infrastructure projects
  • Adjusts the amount going towards the Early Childhood Development Education Trust Fund while leaving room for expansion moving forward

Having been signed by the Governor, House Bill 1 takes effect tomorrow, July 1.

Content on the Beat

WARNING: All articles and photos with a byline or photo credit are copyrighted to the author or photographer. You may not use any information found within the articles without asking permission AND giving attribution to the source. Photos can be requested and may incur a nominal fee for use personally or commercially.

Disclaimer: If you find errors in articles not written by the Beat team but sent to us from other content providers, please contact the writer, not the Beat. For example, obituaries are always provided by the funeral home or a family member. We can fix errors, but please give details on where the error is so we can find it. News releases from government and non-profit entities are posted generally without change, except for legal notices, which incur a small charge.

NOTE: If an article does not have a byline, it was written by someone not affiliated with the Beat and then sent to the Beat for posting.

Images: We have received complaints about large images blocking parts of other articles. If you encounter this problem, click on the title of the article you want to read and it will take you to that article's page, which shows only that article without any intruders. 

New Columnists: The Beat continues to bring you new columnists. And check out the old faithfuls who continue to provide content.

Newsletter: If you opt in to the Join GCB Three Times Weekly Updates option above this to the right, you will be subscribed to email notifications with links to recently posted articles.

Submitting to the Beat

Those new to providing news releases to the Beat are asked to please check out submission guidelines at https://www.grantcountybeat.com/about/submissions. They are for your information to make life easier on the readers, as well as for the editor.

Advertising: Don't forget to tell advertisers that you saw their ads on the Beat.

Classifieds: We have changed Classifieds to a simpler option. Check periodically to see if any new ones have popped up. Send your information to editor@grantcountybeat.com and we will post it as soon as we can. Instructions and prices are on the page.

Editor's Notes

It has come to this editor's attention that people are sending information to the Grant County Beat Facebook page. Please be aware that the editor does not regularly monitor the page. If you have items you want to send to the editor, please send them to editor@grantcountybeat.com. Thanks!

Here for YOU: Consider the Beat your DAILY newspaper for up-to-date information about Grant County. It's at your fingertips! One Click to Local News. Thanks for your support for and your readership of Grant County's online news source—www.grantcountybeat.com

Feel free to notify editor@grantcountybeat.com if you notice any technical problems on the site. Your convenience is my desire for the Beat.  The Beat totally appreciates its readers and subscribers!  

Compliance: Because you are an esteemed member of The Grant County Beat readership, be assured that we at the Beat continue to do everything we can to be in full compliance with GDPR and pertinent US law, so that the information you have chosen to give to us cannot be compromised.